Bob Costas left off NBC’s Super Bowl coverage only months after saying football ‘destroys people’s brains’

Months after Bob Costas publicly said football "destroys people's brains," NBC mysteriously left the legendary broadcaster off of its Super Bowl broadcast team.

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Costas will be replaced by Dan Patrick, who will serve as the host of NBC's Super Bowl LII pregame show alongside co-host Liam McHugh. The duo will be joined by "Football Night in America" analysts Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio and Chris Simms, the network announced in a press release Monday.

Costas previously addressed the dangers of playing football while speaking on a panel at the University of Maryland along with other sports journalists and personalities in November.

"The reality is that this game destroys people's brains," Costas said.

Bob Costas will not be a part of NBC’s Super Bowl coverage. (David J. Phillip/AP)

"The cracks in the foundation are there. The day-to-day issues, as serious as they may be, they may come and go. But you cannot change the nature of the game. I certainly would not let, if I had an athletically gifted 12 or 13-year-old son, I would not let him play football."

NBC did not address Costas' past statements while explaining the decision to remove him from the network's Super Bowl coverage, rather saying the decision was made as a result of Patrick's and McHugh's experience working together.

"Dan and Liam have served as hosts for our NFL pregame/studio shows on Sunday nights and Thursday nights, respectively, throughout the season and will continue on Super Bowl Sunday," the network said in a statement, per Sports Business Journal.

The renowned broadcaster said in a statement he is OK with the decision.

Bob Costas at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. (NBC/NBC via Getty Images)

"Dan and Liam have done the job hosting NBC's NFL coverage all season. It wouldn't be right for me to parachute in and do the Super Bowl," Costas said in a statement, per Sports Business Journal.

Costas, 65, previously announced he would no longer host the Olympics and would host one more Super Bowl before taking on a smaller role with NBC Sports. "I've been lucky to have such a long and enjoyable run," Costas told USA TODAY Sports last February. "So I just thought, better to leave before they ask me to leave."